Will breastfeeding ever become less painful?

[Mybabystolemysanity]

Two days down with a baby boy and second attempt at breastfeeding. Feeling exactly the same as my first child.

Currently mopping up the tears after another agonising feeding session. He's been on the boob all day today.

His latch is perfect, he's not tongue tied and when it finally comes, I think I'll have plenty of milk. It's painful but bearable for the next few days, but not weeks.

Tell me it will be ok once he's not working so hard for milk?

Congratulations on your baby!

Yes, it gets much easier, very fast. Just persevere. One or 2 days, certainly not weeks!

(Well that's how it was for me).

Same as user above it really does get easier soon and the pain goes away. Get some lanolin (sp) cream for your nipples.
Congratulations on your new baby.

Yes. I nearly gave up with my second but then remembered nipple shields! Do try them. Good luck op the first few weeks are hard

My first 2 kids i was in tears with pain for first week. Then pain just stopped. Next 2 babies i had no pain at all.

• sorry... to clarify i didn't mean it hurt for weeks.

I would keep looking at latch and look at your positions (try laying down in bed on your side whilst nursing). I know you have already fed one child but please please PLEASE ask for help. Get the midwives and health visitors to keep checking latch etc. Join some breastfeeding facebook support groups. It could just be your breasts getting used to feeding again but if there is an issue anywhere, the more support you get the better x

For me personally the pain from BF was so so much worse than my CS. I still shiver at the thought of it. Around week 4/6 it was so much easier and basically pain free. Now at almost 6 months it is easy and painfree and absolutely worth it.

You are doing an amazing thing and it will get easier!!! The only thing I would say, is that if it gets to the point bf is making you depressed then stop. A happy Mum is more important than breastmilk.

It gets so so much easier.

Buy some lanolin (and apply it liberally!) and get yourself to a breastfeeding clinic tomorrow if you can. We have a clinic running somewhere in my area every day Mon-Fri: is your area the same?
Also, 2 days in and really teary? Sounds like your milk is coming in so hopefully DC will not have to work quite so hard for dinner.

Those early days are tough. I struggled both times (different issues with each DC) and I distinctly remember the tears of not coping/failing/pain/general shitness. Once I knew what the issue was and how to solve it things got better daily. It took quite a while to be pain-free feeding DD1 as I stupidly battled on without help for too long. With DD2 I had learned my lesson and was much more confident to ask for help, which it made the world of difference.

Thanks all. Doing the Nightshift in hospital with the same midwife I had on night two last time when I couldn't feed my DD. Bad luck. She's made me feel so stupid I'm discharging myself in the morning. I'll manage the rest at home.

It's encouraging to hear it gets easier quickly. I think I'm late with milk coming in again, stricken with baby blues and sleep deprived.

My baby is a beautiful sausage though

Lanolin cream and it does get easier. Sorry about the arsey midwife :(

Keep putting baby to breast, it took my milk a few days to come in but both babies fed well and they only have tiny tummies to start so the colostrum is plenty. It is toe curlingly painful to start, but that settles quickly. Get some lansinoh and apply it after every feed, it's much easier if you don't wait for there to be a problem. When the milk comes in it feels like your breast will burst but cool cabbage leaves from the fridge really help. It's much easier when you're in the privacy of your home and comfy in your own bed. Keep going, you can do this :-) congratulations on your little one!

Oh bless all of you. I feel like I have a little army cheering me on now. Midwife keeps coming back to check I'm alright, so getting the tears out the way in between visits.

I'm on something between the 10th and 15th pair of breasts today and he isn't stopping long enough for me to give myself first aid, change both our nappies, maybe cry or eat something or deal with visitors ( no mum, I didn't want you to come and watch me breastfeeding DS and don't ever turn up unannounced again).

Midwife has just suggested we defrost the 10 remaining syringes of colostrum I have so she doesn't have to walk to the freezer in the opposite side of the ward once a shift to get one out for me. If I wasn't so tired, I'd never have come so close to hitting someone for sheer stupidity in my life.

And just to add insult to injury, the girl in the bed opposite who keeps leaving her baby with the midwives so she can go for a fag is sleeping snoring peacefully after finally switching off Love Island without headphones at 1am. They've just taken her baby girl to the nurses station because she won't wake up to take care of her.

I would scream, but it would wake the rest of the babies...

You have all my sympathy!

Don't let them grind you down. You have your beautiful baby boy...and all you need to do is focus on what's best for him and for you. Not for anyone else x

Hello.
Don't count feeding times - he's supposed to be attached there. Suckling is as important to him as breathing.
So, get someone to hold him while you have a bath or shower, then start refreshed.
Gather all the cushions and pillows you possess.
Find a big chair or sofa with an armrest.
Sit, with your back absolutely straight.
Pad around you with cushions so that you are fully supported and it is comfortable to sit like that.
Pile pillows on your lap, high.
Your aim is to be able to rest the arm holding the baby on pillows, at a height that allows him to access the nipple without any pulling at all. Touch his cheek with your nipple, he turns to latch on, no pulling.
Thereafter, the two of you remain attached.
The pain will disappear very soon. You'll be surprised.

And now I notice that you still seem to be in hospital... sorry... ask them for more pillows. Their beds aren't terribly good places for feeding, ask for sides if you don't have them already.

You have my sympathy. I'm on day 5 and still in pain. Second time breastfeeding and my dh keeps reminding me that I felt like giving up last time as well. My milk came in really well but this led to engorgement of epic proportions on my right side, baby couldn't latch on properly, I felt like breast might explode and I couldn't hand express. This led to poor latch and a very sore nipple which I've been promised will slowly heal but I cringe every time I know he is due a feed from that side.
When I asked the midwife about what to do with the overabundance of milk I have in one side, her reply was "be thankful you have plenty of milk". I know she was trying to be helpful but my god I could have hit her with my sore rock hard boob.

Well, it's been awful.. without elaborating, I have been treated like dirt. My beautiful birth ended in walking out of hospital with baby so we could be safe, respected and private at home. Cue social services and mental health team intervention because a whole night crying for pain and baby blues made me "unstable".

I will never, ever allow a midwife near me again.

Milk starting to flow although one side is agony. Can I feed from one side only for a few hours? Baby lost 10% of birth weight by day 3, so I suppose he will be readmitted because I failed again. Should have just done formula like everyone else.

Won't quit on a bad day, but suspect everyone would be better off on Aptamil

Of course it's fine to feed from just one side for a bit if that's what you need Has any milk come in on the other side yet? In the very early days if one or both boobs were too tender/cracked I'd express the sore one whilst bf on the other, then bottle feed the expressed milk. Might be worth a try?
I know the HCPs start getting itchy at a 10% weight loss, but it has been the norm with both of mine (one was around 12% IIRC. Not surprising as my milk didn't come in until day 5) and almost every friend's bf babies I know. There's nothing wrong with a formula top up if you want and need it though. It doesn't mean you can't go on to ebf if you chose, it doesn't mean you've failed.

I'm sorry you've had such a shitty time on the ward. They are so stretched and it is such a lottery as to the help and care you receive. Hopefully now you're home you can relax.

You're doing an amazing job, and that midwife sounds like a dick.

I know you want to switch to formula and I am by no means anti formula (my DS was mix fed for a few weeks because he refused to latch), but you're going to end up engorged if you're not getting the milk out. Pumping will make your body think it needs to produce more milk so will make it worse, unless your baby drinks all the milk you expressed. If you're not being given enough of a break between feeds for the lansinoh to work, try expressing a little milk and rubbing it on to your nipples. Then stay topless until the next feed.

It's so tough. I gave myself a deadline - if I still hated breastfeeding by X time I'd quit and move to formula. Maybe give yourself that target? If you're feeling emotionally wobbly now (understandably!), can your partner watch the baby for even an hour just to allow you to have a bit of breathing space / shower / sleep?

Thanks both. I'm absolutely reeling still and haven't slept. I'm too upset.

More determined than ever that I can do this. I need something to break down the wall between me and my little son. I felt so close to him and now it's just like DD all over again. I will never, ever allow a midwife near me again.

Milk seems to not have come in on the sorer side. Will try expressing some though. He seems less interested in me and more wanting to sleep, so I think either he will be unwell or there's more cluster feeding to come. Won't sleep if I can help it tonight as too worried about him.

The formula top up I gave last night made him quite uncomfortable and windy. Do I just need to get past that and give the formula? He seems sated or exhausted enough to sleep for two hours. Just going to wake him to try a feed now.

firstly, congratulations on your new little sausage!

I second the suggestion to try expressing the sore side - have you got a pump already?

Also, some people hate them, but nipple shields were the only thing that protected me enough to establish feeding - I would have been red raw without them. Send DH to the shops tomorrow to get some, and some Lansinoh if you don't already have it

fed 3 - first week painful/uncomfortable baby sucks most milk from each breast in the first couple of minutes -so I started on one side for 2 minutes to empty a bit than let baby take his/her time on the other side, reverse next feed.& so on - gave a little bit of rest - if you can get electric or manual pump that may help. It will get easier I promise, within a couple of weeks this will be a faded memory & you will enjoy feeding! :)

ps bet midwife never mama fed!!!!

The side that's painful is it your nipple that is sore or is it a pain in the boob itself? If the nipple then nipple cream and nipple shields might help. Also multi mam compresses you can get from boots really really help sore / broken / cracked nipples really quickly. If it's the boob itself then you might find putting your baby to the breast as much as possible to encourage your baby to drain the milk might help incase you're getting blocked ducts or anything like that.

Sorry you've had a shit time. Well done for walking out though. I wanted to do the same but was too scared but after 7 nights in hospital I was eventually discharged to come home and have my first ever panic attack (thought I was dying - never had 1 before) and called paramedics out. I was so bloody exhausted and emotional I didn't even recognise myself. I hope being at home with your loved ones help.

And finally - congratulations!